Thread: Repeated chips -- issue with steel quality?

I have a Nate's Straight that i have managed somehow to chip on two separate occasions. The first got honed out by the maker (who since seems to have gotten out of business from what I can see.)

I now have another significant chip and am wondering if it's worth sending it off to be honed, or is there a possibility that the steel is somehow defective? In neither case can I identify anything I did to cause the chip, nor have i ever chipped my other razor (Dovo Bismarck). So i am thinking it's a steel problem rather than me having somehow causing these two chips without realizing it.

Probably hard to answer my question, but here goes anyway.

What were you doing, when it chipped.?

Just shaving. No drops, no contact with the faucet.

Although I have personally not had any experience with Nates, but he’s Tim Zowads son so I would think he would know how to build a great razor. But if you do some reach I bet you can contact him and get it resolved

I do know from first hand experience that his dad will do it right

No, not defective steel but there are some razors that do have a tendency to chip with normal use way more than others. If you hone your own razors many of these razors take some special techniques to keep them from chipping as you hone.

Ask me how I know, Har har.

Yes, that's exactly what I was wondering, but didn't express clearly -- could normal use cause a chip?

I do some honing but am not highly experienced in this. I do have a 1K, 3/8K, and 12K. Any helpful honing tips would be appreciated.

I found with my problem razors at the lower grits there was no problem. Once I got up to 8K and above is where I'd start to get tiny micro chips. To tell you the truth I sold off those razors years ago and I don't remember what my solution was. I know I had to get some different hones which was step one but more importantly the technique to hone had to be modified.

However I did bring this up years ago and it is buried in the honing forum somewhere.

Steve:
I have honed many of these chippy razors, they can all be somewhat different and problematic to hone. Sometimes I have used an all natural progression once I honed out the chip, J-Nats can be a good solution.
Also a patient approach setting the bevel with a 3k synthetic and a light touch and proceeding with small jumps also with a light hand can sometimes give the solution if synthetics are used.
I believe some of this trouble comes from hard brittle steel and then leaving low grit stria as the honer progress's up through the progression, under the microscope I usually see these chips forming at the termination of these low grit > remnant scratches with the edge. They seem to erode into chips through normal shaving.
I would be happy to help by honing this edge for you if you like. PM me

Regards Frank

A chippy edge could be caused by brittle steel that has not been tempered enough. I have had this problem with a razor I made from an old file.
Another problem source is dimensions. Test to see what your spine thickness/blade width ratio is. If it is over 4 then that is usually the problem.
The next problem source is type of steel used. D2 is used by some makers but is known as a chippy steel.
The last source is an inadvertent mistake during heat treating. To high of a temp, to long of a soak, to much time before quenching, to long of a time before tempering, etc.
The last is that the grind along the edge is just to thin.

Just my 2 cents

I have honed several customs like that and One must 'sneak' up on the edge.
Not fun. I own none like that any more.
Quality vintage razors in good nick have never chipped during use or stropping. FME.
No sneaking around, either.